Leadership Equals Success by Daniel

Leadership Equals Success by Daniel - March 2015 Scholarship Essay

There are many personal characteristics that are needed to be a successful college student. One of the more important ones would be leadership skills. The term ‘leaderships skills’ can mean a wide array of things. The first thought that comes to mind when thinking of leadership is actually leading a group of people. Some people have it and some people don’t. It is imperative to have leadership skills to be successful in college.

Being a college student is a complete lifestyle change for most. There is no Mom and Dad to make sure the homework is done, nobody to make sure you are making it to class on time, and nobody but yourself to actually hold you accountable. This is a time in a person’s life where they often find themselves. Having adequate leadership skills will help prepare one for life in the real world. The entire time you are in college you and only you are responsible for yourself. The assigned readings aren’t mandatory so you can easily blow them off. When it comes around to test day though, you may be stuck staring at the wall. It takes leadership to actually be able to lead yourself through proper studying techniques to make sure you know what is needed out of any given subject. Of course everyone will have their own unique way of handling things, but that’s not the point. As long as you obtain the knowledge needed then you have lead yourself towards success, no matter what route you choose.

After completing my Bachelors Degree from San Francisco State University, I realized how important my leaderships skills were to my success not only in school but in life. Every so often we would be assigned group projects throughout my various classes. I had the opportunity to take the backseat in some of these projects and let another group member lead. I shortly found out that was the wrong decision. Our projects were not up to our teachers standards. This happened because I decided to let another person determine how well of a product I was going to produce. I quickly learned from this mistake. From this point on I made it a priority of mine to lead my projects. I asked myself, “ If I was in charge of my individual assignments, then why shouldn’t I take charge of group work and lead my team towards success?” Asking this question changed my college career and evolved me into the well-rounded college student that I am today. I was now able to make sure these group projects were completed, meeting all necessary conditions while also adding my own personal touch to spice them up. I’m very meticulous in the work I present; I want it to be it’s absolute best.

I am a firm believer that my outstanding leadership skills are what got my successfully through college. This fall I will be attending San Jose State’s Kinesiology Graduate Program. My leadership will be on display once again, but this time magnified. I have no doubt in my mind that I will be successful at this juncture in my life as well. Simply put, I know how to lead. Leadership equals success.